June 27, 2024
So, tonight (9:00 p.m. Eastern), the two ancient contestants in what both parties insist is a "binary choice" square off in what will be the only debate of the 2024 Presidential Election.
Trump, who has a habit of going weirdly off script in meandering monologues, has been trying to downplay the results ahead of time, after having spent months claiming that Biden is cognitively impaired. In reality, Biden's always made odd speech gaffs, but Trump, who in his younger days did not, now makes them frequently, suggesting that the impacts of age are catching up with him. Both men are the same age chronologically, for all practical purposes, but Biden is obviously more physically fit than Trump, who doesn't believe in exercise.
It is, of course, not a binary contest. You can vote for somebody else.
Do you intend to watch the debate?
So, who all do we have right now?
Presidential Election:
Democratic Ticket:
Biden/Harris, incumbents.
Republican Ticket:
Trump/Unknown.
American Solidarity Party:1
Sonski/Onak
Libertarian Party:2
Oliver/terMaat
Reform Party:3
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr (an independent)/Shanahan4
Green Party:5
Jill Stein/Unknown
Green Party of Alaska:6
Sherman/BluBear
Constitution Party:7
Terry/Broden
Constitution Party of Utah and Nevada:
Skousen/Combs
Party for Socialism and Liberation:8
De la Cruz/Garcia
Approval Voting Party:
Huber/Denault
Prohibition Party:9
Wood/Pietrowski
Independent:
West/Abdullah
Quite a few third parties, we'd note. Have you considered any of them?
Wyoming Senate Race:
Democratic Contest:
Scott Morrow.
GOP Contest:
John Barrasso, incumbent
Reid Rasner
John Hotz.
Wyoming House Race:
Democratic Contest:
Kyle Cameron
GOP Contest:
Harriet Hageman, incumbent.
Steve Helling
Constitution Party:
Jeff Haggit
June 28, 2024
I only watched about 30 minutes of it and could no longer stand it.
There's really no denying at this point that Biden's age makes him unfit to be President. It's not that Trump made sense, Trump's performance demonstrated that he's an unmitigated liar and constitutionally unfit for office.
Rather, the supposed binary system that Americans have bought off on means that, for most people, the choice, because they refuse to imagine another one, will between somebody whose age has caught up with him vs. somebody who doesn't have a single positive political attribute and who is a danger to democracy.
Some, like Nate Silver, and he's far from being alone, are calling for Biden to drop out of the race. If he does not, it will be to his everlasting shame. The real question is not if he should drop out, but when he should drop out.
And who, in that case, might replace him.
Footnotes:
1. The American Solidarity Party is a Christian Democratic party that's centrist in nature, which should not be confused with Christian Nationalism, which it would generally be in opposition to.
2. For some time the third-largest party in the US, the Libertarian Party has seemingly fallen into hard times as libertarian ideas have been co opted by some elements of the Republican Party, which ironically in its populist mode of present, it's also radically opposed to, but doesn't realize it.
3. A number of parties have had the "reform" label for at least a couple of decades. This party is generally centrist in nature.
4. Kennedy has the Reform Party's nomination, but isn't running from it. He's an independent.
5. The environmental party.
6. I have no idea why Alaska's Green Party has separated from the main Green Party, but it certainly has no chance of electing a President.
7. The Constitution Party is a populist party and is where the "Freedom Caucus" people actually belong.
8. A radical left wing party.
9. A really old party, it was at one time a significant one but has waned since the repeal of prohibition.
June 30, 2024
Predictably, there's a lot of Democratic true believer "nothing to see here" type of comments regarding President Biden and the recent debates, maintaining nothing whatsoever will happen in regard to his poor performance.
Not likely.
I'm reminded of Monty Python's classic scene of King Arthur confronting the Black Knight.
"Just a flesh wound".
July 2, 2024
The post election reaction on the Democratic side has been interesting, and unfortunately a bit predictable.
The closer a commenter is to the Biden Presidency, either officially or emotionally, the more likely the comments are that the debate just didn't matter.
It did.
As things distance out, that is recognized. The New York Times, Maureen Doud, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, and others, have all asked Biden to drop out. He should, but the voices he's now hearing, from his family, and from inside Democrats, are urging him to stay in the race. Those are the voices that he's going to listen to.
And that's what will reelect Donald Trump in the Fall.
It's not too late to pick a new Democrat. It's not the case that only Joe Biden can beat Trump. Indeed, people thought Biden was going to be a one-term President in the first place, and didn't want him to run again. Nobody likes the thought of Harris being the President when Biden dies.
Of course, what's going on is emblematic of the Democratic Party itself. It's not true that "only Biden" can beat Trump, but probably only Biden can embrace the full slate of the Democratic left's agenda, somewhat, and still have a chance at beating Trump. Any other Democrat who had a chance would have to run much more from the center. Ironically, that would also mean that such a candidate would have a much better chance of winning overall. But the far left of the Democratic Party, like the far right of the Republican Party, is no compromise in nature.
Time remains, but it won't be taken advantage of. The Democratic Party will simply hand the election to Trump, and more than that, may very well hand the Senate to the GOP as well.
Cont:
A party of Democratic governors is going to meet with Biden regarding his staying in the race, or gettin out.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett has called for him to get out.
Manchin was going to announce that he wanted Biden to back out on one of the Sunday news shows, but was talked out of it.
Democrats who are begging to realize that he might get out, are rallying around the worst possible option for his replacement, Kamala Harris.
Related threads:
Blog Mirror: Joe Biden should drop out.
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